Examples of autonomous control modes for vehicles range from driver assistance systems, in which predefined control tasks such as a distance control or a speed control need no longer be carried out by the driver alone, to control modes of autonomously driving vehicles, in which the vehicle autonomously assumes the complete control over the vehicle actions without involving a driver. In this context, the different developments of autonomous driving can be subdivided into different stages of assistance, such as a partial automation, a high automation, or a full automation.
The development of autonomous driving modes or control modes goes hand in hand with an increase in demands on the vehicle communication and with an ongoing further development of the safety of the autonomous modes. For example, in driver-assistance systems it is already often necessary for the vehicle to receive information or control commands from communications partners in the environment or from remote servers, such as information relating to a speed limit in a local road segment, for example. It is also desirable, especially in the interest of safety, that an autonomous vehicle be perceived as such by its environment.
U.S. Patent Appl. Pub. US 2015/0006005 A1 describes an autonomous, driverless vehicle that can be used for deliveries and that has a multitude of compartments for freight pieces. The vehicle includes a control system for autonomous driving and an environment-sensor system, and is furthermore equipped with a flashing-light signal lamp in order to increase the recognizability of the vehicle.